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Controversial Quote of the Day

Last Updated May 11, 2008 by Matt Leave a Comment

I remember reading this, along with a few other provocative quotes, in February over at Inhabitatio Dei. Leave it to Stanley Hauerwas to stir the pot: “How many of you worship in a church that recognizes ‘Mother’s Day’? I am sorry to tell you that your salvation is in doubt.” And, before you accuse Hauerwas […]

Filed Under: Ecclesiology, Theology

I Think I Finally Have a Need for a Video iPod

Last Updated May 7, 2008 by Matt 2 Comments

I made a potentially time-consuming discovery the other day: TED.com. It’s pretty much one big happy convergence of brilliance. The ecclesiolgy pointed at in the video below makes it one of my favorites. Go to the site and enjoy. In the meantime, I’ll be trying to figure out how to get my hands on a […]

Filed Under: Ecclesiology, Random

The Church as Cultural Text

Last Updated May 1, 2008 by Matt 1 Comment

I’m currently reading Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends by Kevin Vanhoozer. I was struck by his description of a cultural text, especially its implications for ecclesiology: cultural texts convey their propositions–their proposals about what it means to be human–not by offering explicit arguments but rather by displaying them in concrete […]

Filed Under: Ecclesiology

Jesus Made Me Puke

Last Updated April 30, 2008 by Matt Leave a Comment

Such is the title of a new article on Rolling Stone’s website; the full title is “Jesus Made Me Puke: Matt Taibbi Undercover with the Christian Right.” In the article, Taibbi goes undercover and attends a three-day retreat with Cornerstone Church in San Diego Antonio, the church of John Hagee. I always find it interesting […]

Filed Under: Christianity, Ecclesiology, News

How a Church Can Never Run Out of Money

Last Updated April 29, 2008 by Matt Leave a Comment

I was thinking about church giving today for some reason, and it occurred to me that a church that spends its money on things that people believe in shouldn’t ever have a problem raising money. The implication is twofold: If people give more readily to certain kinds of projects than others (i.e. benevolence vs. buildings), […]

Filed Under: Ecclesiology

The Narcissism of Christian Education

Last Updated February 27, 2008 by Matt 8 Comments

A fairly quick and random thought that I had during a worship service a few weeks ago: Christian education is narcissistic. Well, I guess I should qualify that. The current status and priority that we give to Christian education is narcissistic. When a Christian desires to “go deeper” in their faith or to become “closer […]

Filed Under: Christianity, Ecclesiology, Youth Ministry

More on “Mission Trips”

Last Updated January 19, 2008 by Matt 3 Comments

My last post created a decent amount of discussion. Essentially, my question was, What might be a more theologically accurate name for a missional relationship (as opposed to the typical “mission trip”)? Reminder: these are the (very basic) qualifications for a theologically-grounded missional relationship: Establish ongoing relationships by returning to a particular community rather than […]

Filed Under: Ecclesiology, Theology, Youth Ministry

Karl Barth on the Church

Last Updated January 14, 2008 by Matt 1 Comment

… as explained by Andrew Root.  According to Root, in CD 4.3 Barth argues the following about the church: The world would be lost without Jesus Christ. The world would not necessarily be lost without the church. The church would be lost of it had no counterpart in the world. Humbling and thought-provoking. Since I […]

Filed Under: Ecclesiology, Seminary, Theology

Discomfort as Normative Ecclesiology

Last Updated January 12, 2008 by Matt 2 Comments

In the class I am currently taking at Luther, we are studying the theology of ministry. More specifically, we are studying the “theology of the cross” as a foundation for ministry. To put it way too simplistically, the theology of the cross is essentially the understanding that the place where God breaks into the world […]

Filed Under: Ecclesiology, Seminary, Theology

Denominational Differences

Last Updated January 11, 2008 by Matt 1 Comment

As someone who has been exposed to differing denominations (non-, Baptist, Lutheran, some 2nd-order Presbyterianism), I would like to burst the bubble of those who are lifelong adherents to a particular denomination. It is common across denominational boundaries that: No one sits on the front row. Coffee flows like milk and honey. Food and pot-luck […]

Filed Under: Ecclesiology, Random

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Best Youth Ministry Books

These are the books that will completely change the way you think about youth ministry, for the better. Links are to my reviews of each book.
Teen 2.0 by Robert Epstein

Teen 2.0 by Robert Epstein

A psychologist makes you question every assumption you have about adolescence.

Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry by Andrew Root

Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry by Andrew Root

Why build relationships? Root’s answer will surprise you.

Best Youth Ministry Books: Youth Ministry 3.0 by Mark Ostreicher

Yesterday I finally read Youth Ministry 3.0 by Mark Ostreicher, and since I’m one of the latecomers to the conversation I won’t summarize the book too much. Marko has linked to tons of reviews on his blog if you are interested in more in-depth summaries. If you are fairly in-tune with a lot of the […]

Best Youth Ministry Books: Postmodern Youth Ministry

Postmodern Youth Ministry by Tony Jones is the book I would recommend to youth ministers if they could just read one youth ministry book. I first read the book in my Foundations and Practices of Youth Ministry class at John Brown University. After the preface to the book there is a page titled, “The Day […]

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